Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an assembly for detachably mounting to the upper portion of a headstone or monument situated in a cemetery. The assembly includes an illumination means, preferably a solar powered lighting that is releasably attached to the assembly and illuminates over the headstone.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
In the prior art, there exists many varying assemblies to allow displaying of various items, such as flowers, photos and other mementos at grave sites. More specifically, assemblies of various designs and configurations previously devised and utilized that attach to headstones or monuments at the cemetery are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations in the crowed prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,816 discloses an illuminated memorial assembly having an opaque hollow structure that is mounted to a tombstone, and includes a light source contained within the eternal region of the structure. The structure may be mounted to the tombstone in a number of ways, including bolting the structure to the tombstone by first drilling holes in the tombstone, or drilling a hole into the tombstone and cementing an anchor element in place, which anchor element is attached to the structure. As such, the existing tombstone is required to be disfigured with application of the ""816 disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,291 discloses a marking light including a light source that is supported upon a stake, which marking light is positioned by pressing the stake into the earth so as to position the light source at a particular desired delineation or demarcation position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,515 discloses a display case for detachably mounting to the upper portion of the headstone or monument. Said display case having a bottom panel, a front panel, two opposite side panels, two roof panels, a back panel hingedly attached to the bottom panel, it being intended that the interior of the case is for the display of contents. The mounting assembly of ""515 further includes a series of front and rear face plates detachable mounted to the top portion of the monument by swivel bolts and attached to the display case by threaded bolts. As such, application of ""515 requires disfiguring of the headstone/monument.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiment of the present invention overcomes these and other short comings of prior art. The assembly according to the present invention departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so, provides an assembly primarily that is detachably mounted to the upper portion of the headstone or monument without requiring the disfiguring of the monument, and includes an illumination means, that is preferably a solar powered light fixture, that illuminates over the headstone or monument. It should be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved means used for illuminating individual headstones or monuments. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
The present invention is designed to provide an improved illuminated headstone monument assembly developed for the purpose of detachably mounting to the upper portion of an existing headstone or monument by means of an appropriate mounting assembly. In place, the mounting assembly extends above the top portion of the headstone, and preferably, a lighting means, such as a solar powered light provides illumination over the headstone or monument. The mounting assembly includes a base member, and a lower bracket assembly for detachably mounting the monument assembly to the top portion of a headstone or monument. The base member formed of an upwardly extending back panel member attached to a top panel member, said top panel member in perpendicular relationship to the back panel member. The top panel member includes an aperture adapted to receive the illuminating means. The lower bracket assembly cooperates with the back panel member so that the lower portion of the back panel member and a vertical end of the lower bracket assembly extends downward and adjustably overlap the top portion of the headstone.
The lower bracket assembly includes a horizontal mounting plate having an open channel that substantially extends the longitudinal axis of the mounting plate and forms an access opening in the mounting plate. The lower bracket assembly further includes a movable member formed of a vertical portion attached to a horizontal portion. At least two threaded screw holes are disposed through the horizontal portion for threadably receiving swivel bolts. The mounting assembly further includes elongated protective pads selectively positioned at those portions of the mounting apparatus that is in contact with the top portion of the headstone in order to prevent the mounting assembly from shifting once mounted to the headstone or monument, and such pads further prevent any penetration and resulting damage caused from the components of the mounting assembly in contact with the headstone or monument.
When the lower bracket assembly is positioned correctly, the inside surface of the back panel member and the inner surface of the vertical portion of the lower bracket assembly should result in a compression of the mounting assembly against the front and back surfaces of the headstone which secures the mounting assembly to the headstone, so that the mounting assembly extends vertically over the headstone, and the illuminating means illuminates over the headstone.
The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufficiently referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings, which represent one embodiment. After considering this example, skilled persons will understand that variations may be made without departing from the principles disclosed.